The growthe o the ceety began in the 19t century wi the minin o coal an the production o steel in the Ruhr. It wis the scene o fechtin durin the Ruhr Uprisin, 13 Mairch - 2 Aprile 1920 an haes a monument tae the Ruhr Red Airmy.

On the nicht o 1 October 1943, 243 Lancasters an 8 Mosquitos frae the Royal Air Force's Bomber Command attackit the ceety. Accordin tae the Bomber Command Campaign Diary, "This raid was a complete success achieved on a completely cloud-covered target of small size, with only a moderate bomber effort and at trifling cost." Severe damage wis caused.

Hagen is hame tae the LWL-Freilichtmuseum Hagen, or Hagen Open-air Museum, a collection o historic industrial facilities whaur trades such as printin, brewin, smithin, millin, an mony ithers are representit no simply as static displays, but as livin, wirkin operations that visitors mey in some cases even be invitit tae pairticipate in. It is locatit near the Hagen commonty o Eilpe. The Historical Center contains the Museum o the ceety an the Werdringen castle. In the Blätterhöhle cave in Hagen the auldest fossils o modren fowk in Wastphalie an the Ruhr wur foond. They are datit tae the early Mesolithic, 10,700 years B.C.

Hagen haes been an important rail junction for the sootheastren Ruhr glen syne the first rail line opened in 1848. The shuntin yard o Hagen-Vorhalle is amang Germany's lairgest, an the central station affers connections tae the ICE netwirk o Deutsche Bahn as well as to local an S-Bahn services. Syne December 2005, Hagen haes been the stairtin point for a new service intae Essen, operatit bi Abellio Rail.

Local traffic is handled bi Hagener Straßenbahn (Hagen Tramways), which, despite its name, affers anerlie bus services, as the last tramwey in Hagen went oot o service at 29/05/1976. Aw local rail an bus services operate unner the transport association VRR.